They’re Known As The ‘Jack Of All Trades’ at Westover Companies

Joel Grenfell has been working in maintenance for a long time. He put in 32 years working at both Lansdowne Towers Apartments and Gladstone Towers Apartments in Lansdowne, PA. As a Maintenance Lead and Technician, he handled all things maintenance – whether that was turning over apartments, fulfilling work orders, working with contractors, or ordering materials – Joel was an expert in maintaining apartment communities.

Over his tenure, he had built a well-known track record and his hard work did not go unnoticed. When Westover Companies bought Lansdowne Towers and Gladstone Towers, he was promoted to Maintenance Director. Now, as Maintenance Director of Westover Companies, Joel is responsible for overseeing all of Westover’s residential properties and about 150 maintenance personnel, making the transition from directly working on apartment communities, to managing them and each of their technicians.

To learn more about the Westover Maintenance Technician, we sat down with Joel to get the scoop and to unravel the unique role that is the Westover Maintenance Technician.

Q: Approximately how many maintenance technicians are at each property?

“Roughly 150 total Maintenance Technicians, with each property having more or less depending on the property’s size. It can range anywhere from 1-5 workers per property.”

Q: What are some of the responsibilities of our Maintenance Technicians?

“Some responsibilities of the Maintenance Technicians include making sure the property is clean and keeping curb appeal in mind, turning over apartments, fulfilling work orders, and working with contractors.”

Q: What types of areas do they specialize in, if any?

“Some specialize in carpentry, electrical, HVAC, and more, while some are talented in a lot of things.

Carpenters at Westover help install cabinets, counters, and molding, while helping to complete work orders in a timely manner. Carpenters can also help remodel our apartment kitchens and bathrooms and can work on the Westover Upgrade Crew.

HVAC Maintenance Technicians specialize in inspecting and monitoring HVAC jobs and our properties for any liability or problems, as well as performing equipment inspections and preventative maintenance in our boiler rooms to make sure everything is running properly for our residents.

While one might think these roles collide when paired together, they actually work together quite nicely. Westover tries to put Maintenance Technicians at properties that compliment each other. This usually means someone who is older and more experienced is paired with someone younger and less experienced so that the younger employee can learn from the older one.”

Q: What is the ultimate goal for Maintenance Technicians? Do they have daily, weekly, or monthly goals/benchmarks they are striving to hit?

“The number one goal for Maintenance Technicians is to balance turning over apartments by Westover standards with completing work orders in an efficient manner.”

Q: What type of person does Westover look to hire for the maintenance position and what are some of the qualities of our best Maintenance Technicians?

“Westover looks for people that have integrity, a positive attitude, and are a self-starter. I believe that you can teach anyone how to unclog a toilet, but you can’t teach someone how to have a positive attitude.”

Q: Do Maintenance Technicians need to have combined experience in certain crafts before joining Westover?

“If applicants are going to come with any experience in a specific industry, I like those that have experience in either the multifamily or hotel industries, since those industries relate to the types of services that Westover provides to its residents.”

To learn more about the Maintenance Technician from one of our own, meet Colin Blackwood: